So let's talk about how life is a marathon and that persistence is a super power we need to get through it.

Links:

• Lelisa Desisa Wins the New York City Marathon in the Last Miles - The New York Times
• Wendell Phillips - Wikipedia — Wendell Phillips (November 29, 1811 – February 2, 1884) was an American abolitionist, advocate for Native Americans, orator, and attorney.

Links:

• How To Set Goals (And Why You Should Write Them Down) — There’s some impressive science to back up goal setting. And yet it’s something we’re never taught or encouraged to do. But the statistics don’t lie, and make a strong argument for getting good at this skill; and making a habit of it.
• Neuroscience Explains Why You Need To Write Down Your Goals If You Actually Want To Achieve Them — I’m sure you’ve heard that if you want to achieve a goal, you need to write it down. I know it sounds a bit cliché, but it actually does work.
• Why 3% of Harvard MBAs Make Ten Times as Much as the Other 97% Combined

• We know that we need to control our emotions
• We know that we need to be cool in the face of adversity
• We know that we need to focus on what we control and not on what we can't control

It's now time to take action!

A good person dyes events with his own color... and turns whatever happens to his own benefit - Seneca

Opportunities doesn’t always come in the form in which we want them to. They might come in the form of obstacles and difficult situations. Let’s learn how to see obstacles for what they really are, opportunities in disguise.

Links:

• King cake - Wikipedia — A king cake (sometimes shown as kingcake, kings' cake, king's cake, or three kings' cake) is a type of cake associated in a number of countries with the festival of Epiphany at the end of the Christmas season; in other places, it is associated with the pre-Lenten celebrations of Mardi Gras/Carnival. What started out roughly 300 years ago as a dry French bread–type dough with sugar on top and a bean inside now comes in many varieties depending on the country. Some king cakes are made of a sweet brioche dough in the shape of a hollow circle with a glazed topping sprinkled with colored sugar. Hundreds of thousands of king cakes are eaten in New Orleans during the Carnival season.
• Nets' Joe Harris shocks Warriors' Stephen Curry for 3-point title

Genius is the ability to put into effect what is in your mind. There’s no other definition of it. —F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

We often get being super duper smart with being a genius. We have that all wrong. It takes great ideas and dreams and the ability to manifest that into our world. Let's all become a genius1

Links:

• Kenya Kirinyaga Kariru Release | Blue Bottle
• StrongLifts 5×5: Get Stronger by Lifting Weights only 3x/Week
• The Obstacle Is the Way - Wikipedia

In life our first job is this, to divide and distinguish things into two categories: externals I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them I do control. Where will I find good and bad? In me, in my choices. - EPICTETUS

God, grant me the serenity, to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. - Reinhold Niebuht

There are things we can't control (weather, our parents, economics). And there are things in which we can control (work ethic, creativity, perspective, emotions). It's time for us to learn how to focus on the things we can control, and be at pace at things we can't.

Links:

• High Performance Planner OFFICIAL — STAY MORE FOCUSED. PRIORITIZE LIKE A PRO. INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY. MEASURE WHAT MATTERS. BUILD BETTER HABITS. ACCELERATE YOUR GROWTH.
• FREE Hardcover Copy of High Performance Habits
• LA Rams' Brandin Cooks surprises team janitor with Super Bowl tickets — The Los Angeles Rams’ coaches and players won’t be the only ones traveling to Atlanta, Georgia, for the 2019 Super Bowl. Thanks to the generous act of wide receiver Brandin Cooks, the team’s locker room janitor, Alfonso, will accompany them to this Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots, off the clock.
• "The Obstacle Is The Way" by Ryan Holiday

We discuss...

1. Transitioning from 2018 to 2019
2. The New Year Resolution debate
3. Yearly Theme
4. Yearly Statement

2: Speaking of Passion: The Coffee Enthusiast

3: Customer Service Appreciation

4: The Avengers

Links:

• The Coffee Enthusiast
• Infinity War’s Thanos proves CGI supervillains are a terrible idea - The Verge — The character’s disintegrating-grape look is a reminder that old-school makeup and costuming are often more convincing
• The Coffee Enthusiast on Facebook

Links:

• UMBC Seals Its Place in March Madness History with CBB's Greatest Upset Ever | Bleacher Report — The Retrievers—yes, Retrievers—might sound like PETA's weekend softball team. But on Friday, they fetched a victory that will forever define them as best of show, in the underdog division.
• Atl and Peru Together!

Great discussion about the power of perception. Although we can't always control the situations and events in our lives, we can always control our beliefs and perceptions. It's time to recognize our power!

Links:

• Peru Puno Sandia Valley Coffee | Blue Bottle
• Black Panther brings in $1 billion worldwide, Disney says - Polygon — Black Panther has eclipsed $1 billion at the box office worldwide, becoming the fifth Marvel Cinematic Universe film to reach that milestone.
• Instagram: The Original Rik Fu 3000 Coffee Mug

Links:

• Onyx Coffee Lab - Coffee Roasters & Cafe & Barista Training
• Home Chef Meal Delivery Service

1. 5 Minute Journal

2. Coffee Corner
   

3. Good News Network

4. 20/20 Vision

Links:

• Teen Buying Coats For Homeless Doesn’t See Stranger Snap His Photo ‘Til Hundreds Share It Online — Fredrick White was just trying to do something good for his fellow men when he went to Goodwill to buy a couple of jackets. Before the 19-year-old had even paid for a bunch of the store’s secondhand winter coats, however, a stranger in line struck up a conversation with him.

1. 5 Minute Journal
2. Coffee Corner
3. Good News Network: The Georgia Bulldogs
4. Coffee and Checkboxes 2.0

Links:

• Amazon.com: The Obstacle Is the Way: The Timeless Art of Turning Trials into Triumph eBook: Ryan Holiday: Kindle Store — The Obstacle is the Way has become a cult classic, beloved by men and women around the world who apply its wisdom to become more successful at whatever they do.

Here's a quick outline of the steps:

1. Dream big and write down what you want to happen in 2018
2. Write down what worked last year and what didn’t
3. What are you going to say “No” to, what are you going to say “Yes!” to
4. Write down 10 goals, why, and mini steps for each. (Pick from Step 1)
5. Find your totem word for this year

Links:

• Goal Setting Sucks! Here’s A New 5-Step Approach (FS194)

• Introduction
• 5 Minute Journal (Nootropics and HIIT)
• Coffee Corner
• Good News Network
• Topic of the Week: The Unbeatable Mind Series Overview

Links:

• Meet iPhone X — Apple - YouTube — All screen. Introducing Face ID so you can unlock with a look. A11 Bionic, the most powerful and smartest chip ever in a smartphone. Radically new cameras with Portrait Lighting. Wireless charging, animojis and augmented reality. Meet iPhone X. Say hello to the future.
• Guji Zone - Wikipedia — Guji is one of the zones of the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Guji is named after a tribe of the Oromo people. Guji is bordered on the south by Borena, on the west by the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region, on the north by the Ganale Dorya River which separates it from Bale and on the east by the Somali Region.
• Stoicism - Wikipedia — Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy that flourished throughout the Roman and Greek world until the 3rd century AD
• Epictetus - Wikipedia — Epictetus (/ˌɛpɪkˈtiːtəs/;[1] Greek: Ἐπίκτητος, Epíktētos; c. AD 50 – 135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey) and lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece for the rest of his life. His teachings were written down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses and Enchiridion.
• Apple and Cochlear team up to roll out the first implant made for the iPhone | TechCrunch — Apple has teamed up with Australian-based Cochlear to bring iPhone users the first made for iPhone Cochlear implant.
• 646: Mark Divine | Unbeatable Mind — The Art of Charm | Social Science | Cognitive Psychology | Confidence | Relationship Advice | Behavioral Economics | Productivity | Biohacking — Overcast — Mark Divine is a former Navy SEAL Commander, SEALFIT founder, and author of Unbeatable Mind: Forge Resiliency and Mental Toughness to Succeed at an Elite Level.
• Unbeatable Mind: Forge Resiliency and Mental Toughness to Succeed at an Elite Level (Third Edition): Mark Divine: 9781508730514: Amazon.com: Books — Strengthen your thinking, mental-state, and self-development with tools and techniques not easily found anywhere else. Achieve your maximum potential in any career, business or just in life through Mark’s integrated plan of warrior development.

• Introduction
• 5 Minute Journal (Nootropics and HIIT)
• Coffee Corner
• Good News Network
• Topic of the Week: Making a Comeback

Links:

• Brain Benefits and L-Theanine | Life Extension Magazine
• Nootropic - Wikipedia — Nootropics (noh-ə-TROP-iks)—also called smart drugs or cognitive enhancers—are drugs, supplements, or other substances that improve cognitive function, particularly executive functions, memory, creativity, or motivation, in healthy individuals.
• High-intensity interval training - Wikipedia — High-intensity interval training (HIIT), also called high-intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) or sprint interval training (SIT), is a form of interval training, a cardiovascular exercise strategy alternating short periods of intense anaerobic exercise with less intense recovery periods
• Coffee Corner: Coffee and Coffee Mug
• Dramatic Rescues Unfold All Across Waterlogged Houston - The New York Times
• Spartan Race Inc. Obstacle Course Races | You See Struggle, We See Strength | Race Types Overview | Spartan Sprint: 3-5 Miles, 20-23 Obstacles